UEFA CUP, Third round second leg/Fulham ... 0 Hertha Berlin ... 0(Hertha win 2-1 on agg): Jean Tigana has suffered a miserable couple of days. Moved on the eve of this match to deny rumours of malpractice in his transfer dealings, the Fulham coach saw his team knocked out after dominating their opponents.
A journey which began five months and 14 games ago in the InterToto Cup ended last night because Fulham failed to take three good first-half chances and lacked the ingenuity after the interval to break down a Hertha Berlin team who defended bravely in the face of almost incessant pressure.
The quality of Fulham's final ball was lacking in the second 45 minutes and throughout they were frustrated by Hertha's impressive goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly. The Hungarian played almost 20 minutes at the end with an injury after being clattered by Steve Marlet but Fulham only once seriously stretched him.
Tigana was left to rue the own-goal by Facundo Sava in Berlin which enabled Hertha to take a 2-1 lead into this second leg. Yet he will know that his team should have turned the tie around in the first half, when Luis Boa Morte wasted two good opportunities and Marlet had an effort saved.
Fulham were superior to an average Hertha side whose inability to hold possession meant they were repeatedly under the cosh. Although Tigana's team ought to have been beaten in the closing minutes when Michael Hartmann missed two glaring chances, that would have been harsh.
"I'm very disappointed because I think we deserved to win," Tigana said. "We had many chances during the first half and were a bit unlucky."
After Alain Goma hit the bar early on, Boa Morte ought to have scored when set up by Marlet, who said afterwards that he was "surprised" by the furore over alleged irregularities with his £11.5 million move from Lyon. He added he had waived a £2 million payment from his former club to facilitate the transfer.
FULHAM: Taylor, Finnan, Melville, Goma, Brevett (Goldbaek 71), Djetou (Legwinski 45), Davis (Inamoto 62), Malbranque, Wome, Marlet, Boa Morte.Subs Not Used: Clark, Knight, Herrera, Willock. Booked: Melville, Inamoto.
HERTHA BERLIN: Kiraly, Friedrich, Simunic (Van Burik 8), Rehmer, Nene de Brito, Goor, Marcelinho, Neuendorf (Schmidt 72), Hartmann, Dardai, Luizao (Preetz 81). Subs Not Used: Sverrisson, Fiedler, Tretschok, Marx. Booked: Friedrich, Nene de Brito, Neuendorf.
Referee: P Collina (Italy).
